


It Could Happen to You

by laxit21



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Green Arrow (Arrow TV 2012), F/M, Romantic Comedy, based on a movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laxit21/pseuds/laxit21
Summary: When Oliver Queen can't afford to tip his waitress, he offers to share his lottery ticket with her.(Loosely based on the 1994 rom-com of the same name)
Relationships: John Diggle/Lyla Michaels, Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen/Susan Williams (briefly)
Comments: 58
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

Felicity was cursing at herself as she rushed into Big Belly Burger. She knew she’d end up running late, despite her best efforts. If Carly wasn’t such a nice person, she knew she’d get told off, or possibly fired for being late. Still, when Felicity reached the “Staff Only” area of the restaurant, she made sure the first words out of her mouth were to Carly.

“I know I was supposed to be here at 5:15, and I’m very sorry that I-.”

“Felicity? Relax. It’s five minutes. And you were way on the other side of town.” Carly said. “If anything, I should be saying sorry to you for scheduling you this early.”

“I would’ve gotten here in time, but a help desk request came in right before I was about to leave, and it was from the CFO, so I couldn’t just ignore it and-.” Felicity explained.

“Like I said, it’s fine.” Carly said. “Dinner rush hasn’t even started yet. I’ll see you in a few.”

The blonde breathed out a sigh of relief. Felicity had gotten a job as an IT technician at Kord Industries as soon as she graduated from MIT. Her original plan was to graduate MIT debt-free, work for a few years at a big corporation before starting her own company. Unfortunately, Cooper’s misdeeds had derailed her plan, just as she was about to achieve the first part of that goal. In her last year of college, he’d taken a program she wrote and used it to illegally hack into a government database. He was arrested, but MIT revoked her full-ride scholarship, forcing her to take out loans to finish her degree. In order to pay back her loans and save enough to start her own company, Felicity had to work two jobs: IT tech at Kord Industries and waitressing at Big Belly Burger. She’d lucked out that Carly happened to have a waitress quit the same day Felicity asked if the restaurant was hiring and that she was willing to accommodate Felicity’s schedule. Two years later, and while she liked Carly, she didn’t really see an end in sight.

With a sigh, Felicity tied her apron around her waist, made sure she had her order pad ready and walked out into the dining room.

Oliver groaned as he hit the “Ignore” button on his phone. He didn’t want to talk to Susan, his girlfriend, at the moment. Some days, he wondered why she was still with him. When they started dating a year ago, he was Oliver Queen, heir to the billion-dollar Queen fortune. Then, his father’s business turned out to be a Ponzi scheme, their company went under and the family lost most of their money. Now, he was Oliver Queen, EMT and son of a convicted felon.

Susan either didn’t seem to realize, or simply didn’t care, that Oliver couldn’t give her the same things that he could’ve a year ago. Just today, they’d gotten into an argument because the gift he gave her for their one-year anniversary was less expensive than the gift he’d gotten her for her birthday ten months earlier. 

His phone began to ring again. Not wanting to go home to find his angry girlfriend waiting outside his apartment for him, he answered the call. “Hello?”

“Why’d you ignore my first call?” She asked.

“I didn’t. I was in the middle of something for work and by the time I was done, and could answer the call, it had gone to voicemail.” He said. It wasn’t really a lie, since he had been finishing some paperwork right before she called.

“Anything interesting?” She asked, always looking for a good story.

“No.” He said. He didn’t like talking about some of the horrible things he saw on a daily basis. “Just a facility transfer.”

“So, you could’ve answered then.” She said in a snotty tone. “Anyways, I’ve found something that’ll make up for you ruining our anniversary.”

“I didn't ruin it. I-.”

“If you loved me, you would’ve gotten me the purse that I asked for.”

“That bag costs more than my rent and monthly grocery bill combined.” He pointed out. 

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He knew what was going to happen next. She’d tell him that he should’ve listened to her and written a tell-all about his family after they lost all their money. She claimed that it would “give him his life back” but he knew she wanted the book to make a lot of money so that he’d be rich again. He hadn’t worked up the courage to tell her this, but he was actually happy with the way things were right now.

“You know, I’ve been through a lot with you.” Susan said. “And I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to want you to show some kind of appreciation for that. Why don’t you call me back when you remember everything that I’ve done for you?” She hung up before he could respond.

He shook his head as his partner parked in front of the convenience store. Being an EMT meant that he didn’t have much time for breaks while on shift, so he needed to grab a few snacks before getting back into their ambulance.

“She still mad about the bag?” Digg, AKA John Diggle, asked. He’d been Oliver’s partner for the last seven months.

“Yup. You don’t have to pretend like you didn’t hear the whole conversation, you know.”

“I can’t help it if you make it easy to eavesdrop.” He said. “Sounds like you’re both pretty miserable.”

“So, you think we should break up.”

“I think you shouldn’t stay with someone who makes you miserable. You deserve to be happy.”

“She does make me happy.” He said. At least, she made him happy at first. Lately, things had been rough, but he was sure they’d move past it soon enough.

“If you say so. Then again, what do I know? I married Lyla, divorced her and now we’re dating again.” He said. “You should get me some Doritos for providing this excellent life advice, though.”

“Cool Ranch?” Oliver asked and his partner nodded in response. He walked into the store and grabbed a few different things, including Digg’s Doritos. The clerk rang him up and asked him if he wanted anything else. “Lottery drawing is tonight, right?”

“Yup. Jackpot is $60 million, cash payout is somewhere around $47 million.” The clerk said. “You wanna do a random drawing or select your numbers?” Oliver quickly scribbled down six numbers and handed the sheet to the clerk. He left with his snacks and his lottery ticket, hoping the next few hours of his shift would pass quickly.

Oliver’s shift ended at 9:00. Rather than head home, he decided to stop somewhere for dinner, even though only a few places were open. 

Felicity tried not to sigh too hard in relief. It was now 9:30. Her shift was almost over. In an hour, she’d be on her way home. It was a Tuesday, which meant today was going to be slow to begin with, but tonight it was almost painful. The few tables she had were entitled soccer moms or teenagers just trying to kill time. She’d be happy when the one customer she still had, an EMT sitting by himself in the corner, finished his meal and left. She’d waited on him a few times over the last year. The man wasn’t mean or anything, but she wanted to go home. 

She was talking to Carly when she saw the EMT was trying to get her attention. Walking over, he asked her for his bill, telling her that the food was delicious. She put the receipt down and started to walk away when she saw him frown.

“Is something wrong?” She asked. She really hoped he wasn’t going to argue about his bill.

“This is- I’m very sorry about this.” He said. He looked down sheepishly. “I kinda- I’ve got enough money to pay the bill, but not enough to give you a decent tip.”

“Oh.” She said, trying not to grimace. Tips were where she made most of her money at this job, so not being tipped was a bit of a bummer.

“I’ve got the money, just not with me.” He said quickly. “I’ll make a deal with you, Felicity.” He read off her nametag before digging into his pocket. “When is the next time you’ll be working?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He pulled out a lottery ticket. “I’ll come back tomorrow and give you double the tip I owe you, if this ticket doesn't win. If this wins, I’ll split the money with you.”

“I- real- I don’t even know your name.” She blurted out.

“Oliver, my name’s Oliver.”

“Okay, Oliver.” She said. “I’ll see you tomorrow I guess.”

He paid his bill and left. When Felicity walked back over to the table, she saw that he’d left a note. He’d written her an I.O.U. with his contact information, to prove he was serious.

Oliver reached his apartment and nearly fell asleep as soon as he sat down on the couch. The only reason he didn't was because the lottery drawing would be taking place in 10 minutes. He knew it was a longshot, but he could still afford to hope.

He sat in silence, waiting for the local news to start the lottery drawing. Before too long, a 20-something woman in a sequin dress walked onto a soundstage. 

“The week’s winning numbers are…” She said before she began pulling ping-pong balls with numbers painted on them out of the machine.

The program showed the numbers on screen as they were drawn. As each number was announced, Oliver looked down at his ticket before looking back up at the screen.

The six numbers were 45, 17, 87, 3, 8 and 47. The six numbers written on Oliver’s ticket were 3, 8, 17, 45, 47 and 87. The same numbers, but in a different order. He’d won. Oliver’s ticket was the winning ticket. He’d just won $60 million.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver wakes up to a new life and has a promise to keep.

When Oliver woke up Wednesday morning, he was half-convinced that it had all been a dream. He was tired the night before and it wouldn’t surprise him if his mind had made the whole thing up. He checked the numbers again, and to his utter shock, he still had the winning numbers. It felt very surreal.

If he’d learned anything over the last year, it was that he couldn’t afford not to think things through. As soon as he confirmed that he had the winning numbers, he sat down and made a list of things he needed to figure out. Could he claim the winnings anonymously? How much time did he have to claim the prize? What was the tax on the prize? He needed to know all of this, and talk to the waitress from last night, Felicity, and let her know the good news. He meant what he said when he promised to give her half his winnings.

Thankfully, one of Oliver’s old friends, who he’d lost touch with over the last year, happened to be a lawyer. He decided to give her a call before doing anything else.

“Hey, Ollie.” Laurel said. “It’s been, what, a year since we last spoke?”

“Something like that.” He said. “I’m sorry, but with everything going on-.”

“With everything going on? Really? When was the last time you talked to Tommy?” She asked. “The day your dad went to prison? That was the last time, wasn't it? Aside from very short text conversations that don't really count.”

“I couldn’t- I got tired of all of the pitying looks, okay? Mom and Thea both moved out of the state because they were embarrassed, but I couldn’t- I’ve been a bad friend, I know that, but I don’t think you understand what it was like.” After his dad’s arrest, he’d tried to act like everything was fine, like nothing had changed, but everywhere he went, it seemed like someone was whispering about him or pitying him. He didn’t want that and as a result, he’d pulled away from some of his oldest friends.

“Because you didn’t let us. You cut all of us off.”

“I needed time.” He said. “I just need to ask you a question or two and then I’ll leave you alone. If that’s what you want.”

Laurel sighed on the other end of the line. “What is it?”

“Let’s say that someone I know won a large amount of money in the lottery. What would you recommend they do? Can they claim the money anonymously or-?”

“No, in Washington state, winners have to publicly claim the prize, which is incredibly stupid, but that’s the law.” She said. “Tell this friend of yours to get a lawyer.”

“Hey, Laurel? How much would it cost for you to become my lawyer?” He asked.

“I won’t charge you for a two-minute conversation, Oliver. Just give Tommy a call and we’ll be even.”

“No, I’m being serious.” He said. “There isn’t a friend. I won the big drawing last night.”

“Oh.” She said before falling silent. “Can you be at my office at some point this morning?”

“Yup, assuming Felicity’s available.”

“Felicity?”

“It’s a long story, but she’s getting half the prize.” He said. “I can’t believe I won the lottery.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Laurel said before hanging up.

“You won?” A voice said from behind him. He turned around to see Susan standing there. She had her own key and she’d come in just as he was hanging up with Laurel. She heard him admit that he’d won. She rushed over to kiss him. “Oh, baby. This is- this changes everything. I can’t wait to report on-.”

“No. No, you can’t report that story yet. I need to- I gotta do this the right way.” He said.

“Oh, well, I guess I can wait a few hours, but I want that exclusive.” She insisted. “I wanted to stop by and talk before I went to work, but-. This is amazing. Finally, you’ll be able to treat me right.” She rushed out of Oliver’s apartment before he could say anything.

As Felicity got ready for work, she had the local morning news show on in the background. Just after the weather forecast was given, one of the anchor began reading a breaking news story.

“One lucky Star City citizen woke up a lot richer this morning. The Washington State Lottery Commission announced that a ticket with the winning numbers was purchased yesterday, here in Star City.” She read. “The winner hasn’t come forward yet to claim the prize, but one thing is for sure: someone’s luck has turned completely around.”

When the report was airing, Felicity stopped in front of the TV to watch it. She stood there for a moment, wondering if maybe the man from last night had won. After a few seconds, she shook her head and continued with her routine.

“Yeah, out of the hundreds of thousands of people who bought tickets last night, his won. Sure.” She said to herself sarcastically. “I mean the odds of any ticket winning are- I’ll be shocked if he even showed up to pay his tip.”

Oliver rushed to Big Belly Burger, hoping to see Felicity. He wanted to tell her the news as soon as possible, and hopefully in person. She wasn’t there, so he walked over to Carly.

“The waitress I had last night, where is she?” He asked her.

“She has a day job and only works here in the evenings.”

“I need her phone number. I need to talk to her.”

“Yeah, I’m not gonna give you that information.’ She said. “Yes, you seem fine, and Johnny would’ve told me if there was a reason I shouldn’t want you around, but I can’t just invade her privacy like that.”

“Well then, can you call her? I really need to talk to her. Today.”

She spent a few moments studying her brother-in-law’s partner before shrugging and going to grab her cell phone. 

“Hey, Felicity.” Carly said when she dialed the phone. “You know your last customer from last night, he’s here and he wants to talk to you.” She handed Oliver the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

“Sorry to make Carly call you, but she wouldn’t give me your number and-.”

“Not surprising. Last year, one of the other waitresses was followed home by a customer and she doesn’t want- Don’t take this the wrong way, but what do you want?” Felicity asked. “Because I don’t wanna be rude, but I’m kinda at work and-.”

“It won.”

“What?” She asked.

“Last night, I made you a deal. If my lottery ticket won, I’d split the money with you. If it didn’t, I’d come back and give you double the tip that I owe you.” He said. “The ticket was a winner.”

“Okay, so just give Carly the $100 bucks that’s my share and-.”

“It’s a lot more than $100 dollars. It won the $60 million jackpot.” He said. “Any chance that you can take a very early lunch and we can talk about it?”

“Um, yeah.” She said, unsure of how else to respond. “Where?”

“There’s a law firm on Adams, fourth floor, across the street from Table Salt.” He said. “I have a lawyer friend we should meet with.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you there at 11:30.” She said before hanging up.

Felicity told one of her coworkers at Kord that she was taking an early lunch and headed to the address he gave her. She was almost positive this was a prank, one in very bad taste. She half-expected the address wasn’t even to a real law firm. Yet, the address took her to a law firm and Oliver was actually standing outside of the suite when she arrived.

Oliver and Felicity’s meeting with Laurel was awkward to say the least. Felicity hadn’t expected Oliver to pay his tip, much less give her more than $20 million. Yet, he insisted on keeping his word. He’d promised her half his winnings if he won, and he wanted to be a man of his word. Robert Queen broke promises to everyone, family included, and Oliver didn’t want to be like his father. He wanted to be better. So, he made sure that both he and Felicity were recognized as the winners of the lottery drawing. Thanks to some finagling by Laurel, they were able to take the winning ticket to the lottery office later that day, setting things in motion to get paid the lump sum within the following few weeks.

Oliver was about to ask Felicity what she planned to do with her share when his phone rang. He wanted a chance to talk to her before the news broke and their identities were revealed. He looked at his phone and saw who was calling him. It was Susan.

“Who is Felicity Smoak and why are you giving her half of the money we won?” She demanded.

“Felicity and I made an agreement about that ticket, if I won. I’m just keeping up my end of the deal.” He said.

“Are you cheating on me? Is that it?”

“No. I just made a promise and I’m sticking to it. I’ve gotta go, but I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up to find that Felicity was gone. Laurel said that reporters had started arriving and she left before she could be ambushed.

“I kinda wish I’d done the same thing.” He admitted, seeing the news vans outside of the building.

She patted him on the shoulder. “It’s just like riding a bike. I’m sure you remember how it goes.” He stepped outside and cameras started flashing as people yelled questions at him. He somehow made his way through the crowd to his car, but the press made it nearly impossible for him to drive away at more than a snail’s pace.

“Oh my god, honey! I can’t believe it.” Donna Smoak yelled as soon as Felicity picked up the phone. “You won the lottery!”

“How do you already know that Oliver won?” She asked her mother. It seemed odd that Donna, who lived in Las Vegas, already knew what had happened.

“Oliver? Who’s Oliver?”

“He’s- So, I got a job waiting tables to pay bills. He was a customer and he didn’t have enough money to tip me last night. So, we made a deal. If his ticket won, he’d pay me half the prize. If it didn’t, he’d return to the restaurant today and pay me double the tip he owed me. I didn’t think he’d actually keep his word.”

“You made him agree to that?”

“No, Mom, I- you really think I’d do that?” She asked. “He offered, and I just went along with it, because the odds of him winning are 1 out of 292 million. I didn’t even expect to get paid the tip he owed me.”

“Well, I guess there still are some good people in this world.” Her mother said. “So, what happens now?”

“I have no idea.” She admitted.

Oliver reached his apartment and unlocked the door. He stepped inside, hoping for some peace and quiet. Instead, he found Susan sitting on his couch with a scowl on her face.

“How could you do this to me? To us?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For simplicity/to avoid drama, Oliver and Laurel never dated in this AU.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver sees a side to Susan he doesn't like and Felicity starts to strain under all of the attention she's getting.

Oliver reached his apartment and unlocked the door. He stepped inside, hoping for some peace and quiet. Instead, he found Susan sitting on his couch with a scowl on her face.

“How could you do this to me? To us?”

“What are you-?” He started to ask.

“When we first met, everything was going great. And then your father was arrested by the SEC and overnight, you lost everything. Your status, your money, everything. I stood by you when everyone turned on you.” She said. “When you had to get a full-time job and figure out how to function, I was there for you. I thought we were a team, but now, I don’t think we are. Because we won the lottery and the first thing you did was give away half of what we won to some random woman.”

Oliver found it a bit funny, that yesterday she was complaining that _he_ didn’t have any money, but now that the ticket he had was a winner, she referred to it as _their_ money. Part of him, the same part of him that had been thinking about breaking up with Susan, wanted to point out that they hadn’t won, but he’d won. He also didn’t understand why sharing the prize with Felicity was a huge problem. Currently, he was going to get just over $20 million, which was more than most people would ever have. What did he have to lose by sharing?

“I told you. She and I had an agreement about what to do with the money if the ticket won. I couldn’t just back-out.”

“You should’ve talked to me about what would happen with the winnings, not her. I wouldn’t have let you do something so stupid in the first place.” She insisted.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why should I have consulted you before I made my agreement with her?” He asked. “I’m just confused about why you seem to think I need your approval, about what to do with my winnings.”

“Because I’m your girlfriend!” She yelled. “This money could’ve changed everything for us, but now-.”

“I’m still getting over $20 million from the ticket. It’s not like she ran off with the ticket and left me with only $100.” He sighed. “I don’t wanna talk about this right now. I just wanna get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“Fine. We’ll talk about it later.” She said. “Make sure your lottery-buddy is available for an interview soon. You did promise me an exclusive.” She picked up her bag and walked out of the apartment.

Oliver watched her go and decided two things. One, there was no way he’d subject Felicity to being interviewed by Susan. Two, he needed to get his locks changed. He hadn’t realized before now how often Susan just let herself into his apartment without telling him she was coming over. He hoped that, after some sleep and some time to process, Susan would see how ridiculous she sounded.

Unsure of what else to do, Felicity went home after leaving the lottery office. She’d already given Carly a call and told her she wouldn’t be able to work tonight. The last thing she wanted was a bunch of reporters hanging out outside of Big Belly Burger, scaring away the customers. Her supervisor at Kord Industries called her not long after she got home and asked what she planned on doing next.

“I don’t- to be honest, this whole day has been very surreal and I haven’t made any decisions about the future yet.” She said.

“When you make a decision, please let me know.” He told her. “And take a few days off to think about it.”

“Thanks, Ray.”

“Oh, and congratulations.”

Felicity hung up the phone just as she started hearing a commotion outside her condo. Looking out of the window, she saw a bunch of news vans setting up outside. How had the media already figured out where she lived? She closed all of the curtains in the building and tried to stay as far away from the windows as possible.

“Great. I finally found a place I like, and now I need to move because everyone wants to know what I plan to do with the money I’m getting.” She said. “At least I’ll be able to pay my loans off.”

After leaving Oliver’s apartment, Susan went back to her own place. Things were finally starting to get back on track for her. She started dating Oliver because he could give her the life she wanted, and after he lost his money, she considered dumping him. Her gut told her not to, though, that he’d bounce back from the scandal his family had endured. Sure, he wasn’t a billionaire anymore, but his lottery winnings, if handled correctly, could ensure he gave her the kind of life she believed she deserved.

He had money again, which meant she could continue on with her plan. Keep dating Oliver, marry Oliver and use the Queen name to advance her career. Once they were engaged, she’d convince him to give up his job as an EMT, a job that didn’t make much money and he didn’t need any longer.

She started browsing online, looking for pricy gifts that she could mention to Oliver in passing, subtly nudging him to buy them for her. She signed up for jewelry catalogs as well, hoping once he saw them, he’d take the hint and start thinking about proposing.

Over the next few days, Oliver and Felicity both got dozens of unexpected phone calls. Relatives Felicity had never heard of were contacting her, offering to help her “manage” her money. Friends Oliver hadn’t spoken to since middle school wanted to see how he was doing. It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of them or to find a way to benefit from their good luck. Felicity was trapped in her house for two days, due to the constant barrage of reporters outside, before she finally caved and called someone for help.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Oliver. It’s Felicity. How are you doing?” She asked. “Because I’m doing great. That’s a lie. I haven’t been able to leave my house in two days, not since the news about the drawing came out, and I’m starting to get a little stir-crazy. I know you’re dealing with the same thing, but-.”

“I’m a little more used to dealing with the press than most people.” He said. “I’ve been waiting for you to call, actually. How hard would it be for you to get away from your house?”

“Well, Channel 52 was blocking me in, the last time I looked outside, so I’d say pretty hard.”

“I know you really don’t know me very well. I mean, we’re basically strangers, but a friend of mine offered to let me stay with him for a bit until everything dies down. You wanna come with me?”

“First, you give me $20 million, and now you’re introducing me to your friends? I wonder what you do for people you actually know.” She joked but then one of her curtains moved and reporters began yelling questions at her. “But, if your friend’s okay with it, that would be great. I- you can’t tell anyone this, but I’m kinda overwhelmed right now.”

“Me too. I’ll call Tommy and call you right back, okay?”

“Even if he says yes, how am I gonna get there?” She asked.

“I don’t have a plan off the top of my head, but I’ll figure it out. I promise.” He said. “I’ll call you back soon.”

Ten minutes later, Felicity’s phone rang and it was Oliver. He told her that Tommy said he was happy to let her stay with him for a few days until things calmed down. Felicity wondered why, all of a sudden, everyone she talked to was so generous. Oliver splitting his prize money, Tommy letting her stay at his house even though they’d never met, it was a bit surreal. After he told her the news, Oliver asked her to pack a bag with three or four days worth of clothing.

“I’ll get packing, but my condo is still surrounded by the press. There’s no way I’m gonna be able to just get into my car and drive away.”

“I’ll pick you up.” He said. “Text me your address. I’ll text you when I’m close by and let you know where I park. Oh, and you’re gonna wanna put on some sunglasses or possibly a hat. It helps with the flashbulbs. And don’t look directly at the cameras.”

Felicity made a vague noise of agreement and ended the call to start packing. She didn’t really put much thought into what clothes she brought. She didn’t need to look professional for work, and after the last few days, she wasn’t trying to impress anyone, so she threw a bunch of yoga pants and other comfortable articles of clothing in a bag, along with some toiletries, her spare set of glasses, her computer, tablet and the charges for them. 

She got a text from Oliver after half an hour, telling her that he was here. She looked outside and again, the reporters started yelling questions at her. “I really need to stop doing that.” She scolded herself.

Oliver’s next text told her that he was parked around the back of her condo, where there weren’t as many reporters lurking. When she looked out her back window and saw the car Oliver described in his text, she threw her bags over her shoulder, slid her sunglasses over her face and walked out of her backdoor, locking it behind her.

She managed to take a few steps before the press started yelling questions at her. The reporters couldn’t park or stand on her property, otherwise she could press charges for trespassing, but Oliver could. Thanks to the reporters being unable to get close to the house, she didn’t have to push through the crowd to get to Oliver’s car. Having over a dozen people yell her name was still frustrating, though. She finally got into the car and locked the door behind her.

“Rough day?” Oliver asked.

“It was, but since I no longer feel like I’m living in a fish bowl, it’s getting better.”

“I’m glad.” He said, driving away from the condo. “Tommy’s house has a full security system, with a gate and everything, so even if the press follow us, they won’t be able to get very close.”

“So, Tommy _is_ Tommy Merlyn then?” She said. “I mean, I knew you two were friends, but I didn’t know if, after what happened with your father, his cheating people out of billions of dollars and your company collapsing, I’ll stop talking about it now...anyway, I wasn’t sure if- I just didn’t want to assume.”

“Yeah, we’re staying with Tommy Merlyn. He’s been my best friend since we were six. And after the last few days, there are only a few people I trust completely, and Tommy’s one of them.” He said. Both Tommy and Digg had offered to let Oliver stay with them when the press circus started. As much as he trusted John, Oliver didn’t want to subject his partner to that kind of stress. Digg didn’t take offense to Oliver turning him down, and just told him to let him know if he needed anything.

“Well, the next few days will certainly be interesting then.” She said with a slight smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity meets Tommy while Susan schemes.

Felicity and Oliver’s drive out to Merlyn Mansion was pretty quiet. They had tried to make small talk for a little bit, but each knew that the other wasn’t really in the mood for that kind of thing. It didn’t help that they had exactly three things in common: he was a semi-regular customer of her’s, they both knew Digg and, of course, the lottery winnings. Now wasn’t the right time for them to try and get to know one another. As a result, Oliver turned on the radio to fill the silence.

“I don’t mean to be the person asking “are we there yet”, but how much longer is this drive gonna be?” Felicity asked.

“About ten minutes.” He said. “Tommy’s house is about as far as you can get from the city without being in the sticks.”

“Okay.” She said, before realizing something. “Oh, frack. I need to call my mom and warn her.” She hadn’t talked to her mom since the day before and didn’t think to want her about reporters possibly tracking her down for a story.

“Warn her?”

“To not answer the door or any suspicious phone calls.” She elaborated. “Anytime there’s a big story like this, when the press can’t get ahold of the person they really wanna interview, what do they do? They track down family, old friends and so on for dirt.” She said. “Maybe I should’ve just paid for her to take a long vacation.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine, but go ahead and call her. Unless you don’t want me to overhear. In which case, I can totally-.”

“Normally, I’m the one talking in sentence fragments.” She said with a chuckle. “I’ll wait until we get there, so that I can honestly say that I’m somewhere safe.”

“‘Fair enough.”

“What’s this been like for you?” She asked after a few minutes of silence. “I mean, I’m just a nobody, but you’re kinda famous, or at least you were. Has your family been dealing with any of this circus or-?”

“My mom and sister moved to Rhode Island after my dad went to prison. My grandparents left my mom a house there. Mom didn’t want to expose Thea to the kind of scrutiny we were getting, so they’re safe from the reporters.” He said with a sigh. “Most of them anyway.” He winced, he didn’t mean to say that out loud.

“Most of them?” She asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He said. His relationship with Susan had always been a point of contention with Moira. His mom didn’t like Susan and believed she’d use her relationship with Oliver to get an exclusive if it benefitted her career. In fact, Moira mentioned Susan, by name, when explaining why she and Thea were moving away. She didn’t want something Thea said in confidence to her brother or his girlfriend to wind up on the news the next day.

“Fair enough.”

“Oh, and I apologize in advance about Tommy. He can be a bit….much.”

“I spent most of my childhood hanging around a Las Vegas casino. I can handle “a bit much”, no problem.” She said confidently.

Susan hadn’t heard from Oliver in two days. The last time they’d spoken, they’d argued about him giving Felicity half of the lottery winnings. At the time, she’d backed off, not wanting to push too hard and cause him to break up with her. Now, however, she was beginning to think being hands-off was a mistake. Her boyfriend had changed a lot in the past year and she wasn’t as good at predicting his behavior as she once was. If she didn’t regain control of their relationship now, she might lose everything she worked so hard for. She dialed his phone number, intent on asking him to stop by her apartment so that they could talk. To her disappointment, it went straight to voicemail.

Oliver and Felicity were pulling into the driveway of Merlyn Mansion when his phone began to ring. He glanced at the device before frowning and looking away.

“Ok, I know it’s not my business, but please tell me you’re not gonna do an interview or something with Susan Williams.” Felicity said, having read the name that popped up when the phone started ringing. “Sorry, it’s just that there’s something about her that’s always felt off to me.”

“She’s my girlfriend.” He said quietly.

“Oh. Great job, Felicity, you’ve made everything weird.” She muttered to herself before looking over at Oliver. “Well, I’m sure I can find a hotel that I can check into and I’ll call a cab to take me there.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I pretty much just told you, to your face, that I hate your girlfriend. I think I should leave.”

“You’re allowed to have your own opinion of her.” He said. “I know she’s a very polarizing person.”

Felicity was about to respond when the driver’s side door opened. “Are you two just gonna sit in the car all day? Because that doesn’t sound all that exciting?” A man asked, sticking his head into the car. He then introduced himself to Felicity. “Hi, Tommy. Tommy Merlyn.”

“Felicity Smoak. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Any friend of Ollie’s is a friend of mine.” He said. “Seriously, though, you two should get out of the car. The house has booze, and food and a pool. Way better than just a radio and cup holders.”

“You had me at food.” She joked, opening her door and getting out of the car. Oliver followed suit.

“So, Felicity Smoak, the mysterious Felicity Smoak.”

“Tommy.” Oliver said warningly.

“What? I’m just trying to get to know your friend, the one you’ve never mentioned before.” He said innocently. “How do you know Ollie? Did you bump into one another at some coffee shop? Were you in an accident and he was the hunky EMT who arrived to check you for injuries?”

“My second job is at Big Belly Burger and I’ve been his waitress a few times.” She said. “And I kinda, almost worked for his dad, but something about the company seemed off to me, so I went to work for Kord Industries instead. And I know that doesn’t really count, but-.”

“Ah, the plot thickens.” He teased as they entered the mansion and he walked them towards the guest rooms. “Seriously, though, it’s been months. Mentioning his dad isn’t a taboo or anything. So, if you don’t mind me asking, how’d you end up winning alongside Ollie?”

“I think Oliver would be better at telling the story than I am.” She said. “I need to call my mom and tell her I’m okay.” She went into her room and closed the door.

“I went to Big Belly on Tuesday night. I didn’t have money for a tip, so we made a deal.” Oliver cut in. “If the ticket won, I’d split the money with her. If it didn’t, I’d come back the next day and pay double what I owed her.” When he saw his friend’s look of surprise. “She’s always been very nice to me, and after the last year, I’ve realized how important it is to pay things forward.”

“But splitting over $40 million dollars with her?” Unlike Susan, Tommy didn’t sound angry, just a bit confused. “I’m not saying you should’ve lied or walked back on your agreement but I’m trying to understand why you’d make an offer like that in the first place.”

“I didn’t expect the ticket to win, but if it did, I knew I wouldn’t need that much money, so sharing it didn’t seem like a problem.”

His friend nodded. He could understand where Oliver was coming from a little better now. While he would always love Oliver like a brother, he couldn’t deny that he’d become a much better person overall during the last year. “And how did Susan take it?”

“Not well. First, she accused me of cheating on her. Then, she got pissed at me for giving away “our” winnings.” He said. “We’ve hit a bit of a rough patch.”

“Well then, let’s not talk about her anymore. We’re taking a break from the real world. Let’s go have a drink.” He said, throwing his arm around Oliver’s shoulder.

“What about Felicity?” He asked, gesturing behind him to where her room was. “This is a big house. She might get lost.”

“It’s a mansion, not the White House, dude.”

“Yeah, I know, Mom.” Felicity said, coming out of her room but still on the phone. “I gotta go. I haven’t eaten anything all day. Because my fridge ran out of food and I didn’t want to fight my way through the press to go to the store. I’ll call you later. I love you too.” She ended the call. “My mom says hi.”

“We’re gonna have a drink, wanna join us?” Tommy asked her.

“Sure.” She didn’t really know what to do now that she was away from the press and finally had some time to think.

“Oh, I don’t know if Ollie told you this, but there’s gonna be one more person staying here while you’re here.” Tommy said when they reached the kitchen. “Did you tell her that Laurel lives here?”

“Laurel? Like the lawyer we met with Laurel? How do you know her?” She asked.

“They’re engaged.” Oliver said. 

“Congrats. Is it weird that I’m congratulating someone I just met? It feels weird to me.” She said.

“It’s weird, but I love it.” Tommy cut in, always willing to go with the flow.

When Oliver didn’t answer her call, and he didn’t call her back within the next ten minutes, Susan began to get a little anxious. Had she pushed him too far? Was he ghosting her? Was he going to suggest they take a break? 

In case things were heading towards a break-up, she needed a back-up plan. She couldn’t let this relationship end with nothing to show for it. She called a friend of hers, who worked for a prestigious divorce lawyer in Central City.

“Well, this is an unexpected surprise.” Her friend said.

“Sorry, work’s been crazy. Are you still working for Sam Armand?” Susan asked.

“Yeah, I still work for that dick. He’s a dick but he pays well. Why?”

“You know how I told you about that guy I was seeing?” She asked. She’d never told her friends she was dating Oliver Queen. At first, it was because she wanted to tell them in person and see their faces. Later, she couldn’t because she was ashamed that he’d lost his money. “He recently came into a large amount of money, but we’re kinda on the rocks. I’m hoping there’s something i can do so that he can’t just leave me and take all the money with him.”

“Actually, he can.”

“What?”

“You two aren’t married, so you don’t have a claim to whatever money he’s won or inherited or been awarded. The whole “what’s mine is yours” thing only legally applies after two people are married and their property is considered communal property. Right now, you don’t have any rights to anything he owns.”

“What if I got something in writing? Something promising me a certain sum?”

“Any good lawyer could easily get that thrown out, since it would be signed after he got the money. If it could even be considered a valid, binding legal document in the first place, which it might not be. Sam doesn’t practice in Washington state, so I can’t say what a judge will or will not enforce.” She sighed. “You want his money? You gotta get him to propose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, there will be a lot of Tommy soon, I just didn't want to rush anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver talk about their plans while Susan does something to reveal her true colors.

Susan got off the phone with her friend and started plotting. The only way she could make sure Oliver didn’t leave her penniless was to marry him. She had been trying to veer them down that road lately, but he didn’t seem to be picking up on the hints she kept dropping.

Knowing what she knew about Oliver’s dating history, she realized she might be scaring him off. Prior to his father’s arrest, he’d never been one for commitment. If she wanted to marry Oliver, she needed to be sure not to push him too far. Deciding to pay the long game, she refrained from calling him again today.

Instead, she got out her computer and looked into the woman he was giving half of his winnings to. Who was Felicity Smoak? What made her so special? Susan needed to find out some dirt on Felicity, both to keep her away from Oliver and because she needed a big story. An hour of digging yielded some interesting results.

Felicity, Oliver and Tommy sat around Tommy’s kitchen. The two men were drinking whiskey while Felicity was having a glass of merlot. The blonde had never been much of a fan of mixed drinks, usually because of the aftertaste they had.

“I feel like we should toast to something.” Tommy said. “How about your good luck?”

“And new friends.” Felicity added. “I mean, I hope we can all become friends, so- yeah.”

“To good luck and new friends.” Oliver said. “So, you ran out of the lottery office before I could ask, but what are you gonna do with your share?”

“Pay off my student loans. After that? I don’t know.” She said. “I always wanted to start my own company, but now that I’ve got the chance, I’m not so sure.”

“What kind of company?” He asked her.

“Well, my degrees are in computer science and cybersecurity, so some kind of tech. My problem is that I have too many ideas and I tend to overthink things.” She shrugged. “What about you? Gonna quit your job as an EMT?”

“Nah. I like my job. For the first time in my life, what I’m doing actually helps people. I don’t want to give that up, even though I don’t need the job to survive.” He said. “Might move to a better apartment, though.”

“You don’t like your place?” Tommy asked.

“There are some things I like about it, and some I don’t.” He admitted. The walls were a little too thin, the building didn’t have great circulation, and his girlfriend kept showing up unannounced. One of those things annoyed him more than the others.

Felicity, Oliver and Tommy spent the next few hours talking and getting to know one another. She was surprised to learn just how funny Tommy was. Even though they hadn’t met under normal circumstances, getting to know them was nice. It made her feel a little bit more normal. Laurel came home from work while they were all talking and Oliver offered to cook for everyone, which was apparently a hobby of his. Felicity gave him a hand cooking, giving Tommy and Laurel some time alone, and then everyone sat down for dinner.

As dinner was wrapping up, Felicity’s phone buzzed. She looked at it and let out a deep breath, followed by another. It was easy to see that she was trying to keep herself calm.

“Everything okay?” Laurel asked her.

“Yeah, I just-.” The phone buzzed again. “I’m fine.” She said before running out of the room.

It was clear to everyone that she wasn't okay and they all followed her out of the room. She was in the hallway, pacing and muttering to herself. She was incredibly agitated and upset about something.

“Felicity, what’s going on?” Oliver asked.

“What’s going on is that your girlfriend’s a real nasty bitch.” She snapped. “Sorry, that was mean. You don’t deserve- I’m not mad at you and I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on you.”

“What happened?”

“Are you sure you wanna hear this? She is your girlfriend after all.”

“She upset my friend, so yes.” He said.

Felicity sighed. “I guess she needed a story, because she just published an article digging into my past. Google my name and it’ll pop up. The problem is, she’s taking things out of context and misrepresenting facts.”

“What facts?” Laurel asked, pulling out her phone to search for the article. “We can release a statement refuting her story, if you want.”

“Well, some of it is about my family. She claims my mom’s a dancer in Las Vegas. She’s not, she’s a cocktail waitress. Depicting me as some kind of gold digger or something I’m guessing.” She said. “Oh, and she’s accused me of cyber-terrorism because of my ex.”

“Um, what?” Oliver asked.

“My last year of college, my ex used a program I wrote, for a project, to hack into the Department of Education and erase a large amount of student loan debt. He was arrested by the FBI and while I was cleared of any wrongdoing, I lost my full ride scholarship. But the way she reported what happened, I was the criminal mastermind who got away with a huge felony and he took the fall.”

“I’ll start working on a statement challenging her article.” Laurel said.

“I don’t know if I wanna do that just yet. Sometimes a response just makes everything worse. If I call her a liar, people will wonder what I’m hiding.” She said before looking at Oliver. “You know her better than me. Why would she do this?”

“I don’t know.” He responded. He knew Susan wasn’t happy about Oliver splitting his winnings with her, but he didn’t expect her to do something like this. “Do you want me to-?”

“I don’t wanna put you in the middle of this.” She said. “I think I’m gonna turn in for the night.” Her day had started out bad, gotten a lot better and now, her day was sucking again. She felt drained and just wanted to sleep.

“I’m sorry.” Oliver called after her. She gave him a tight smile before walking upstairs.

“Ollie? I don't wanna say that your mom might’ve been right about Susan, but she might’ve been right.” Tommy said. “She’s not the person she wants you to think that she is. I mean, we’ve all seen it, but you don’t seem to wanna belie-.”

“I’ll talk to her.” He said.

“I don’t think that's gonna help, but its worth a shot.” His friend said before walking away.

Oliver just kind of stood in the hallway for a few moments. Why had Susan published that article?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Susan gets some backlash, and Oliver makes a decision.

Susan was willing to admit that she was very pleased with herself. Her article about Felicity Smoak was getting a lot of traffic, which was good for the paper and it boosted her own profile. Soon, she’d be done writing puff pieces and feel-good stories. She hadn't become a reporter to write articles about fluff. She watched the hit count on the article go higher and sat back in satisfaction.

She was a little perturbed that she hadn’t heard from Oliver yet. She guessed that maybe, he needed some time. His life wasn't the same as it has been last week and getting used to having money again must be daunting. She was trying to think of an excuse to call Oliver when he ended up calling her.

“Hello, handsome.” She said, answering the phone. She left her desk to have some privacy while they talked.

“I saw your article.” He said in a tone she couldn't decipher.

“And? What did you think of it?” She asked. He’d never mentioned reading anything of hers before and she honestly wanted to know what he thought about it. “Pretty great, right?”

“No, it’s not.” He said. “Why would you write something like that? You attacked her for no reason.”

“Everyone’s been clamoring for articles about the two of you. I needed to get ahead of the curve.”

“So, you deliberately fill your article with a bunch of lies? You’re so eager for a story that you misrepresent important facts. You don’t even know her.”

“Neither do you. You met her what, a few days ago? Why are you defending her?” She challenged.

“Because she’s my friend and she’s a good person.” He said. “And I’ve known her for over six months.”

“If she’s your friend, how come I’ve never met her?”

“Well, after you met Digg and acted like a total bitch to him for no reason, I stopped trying to introduce you to my friends.” Susan had not outright said it, but she’d made it extremely clear that she was only interested in Oliver’s friends who had money. Digg, Carly and the others didn't matter to her. “Actually, you know what? I’m done.”

“Good. Now if you’ll let me explain-.”

“No, I’m done with you. I think we should break up.” He said.

“WHAT? YOU’RE DUMPING ME OVER THE PHONE?!”

“I guess I am.” He said. “You're not the person I thought you were and I don’t want to be with someone who acts the way that you’re acting. Goodbye, Susan.”

“I- you’ll regret this.” She said. “I will make you sorry for doing this.”

“Are you threatening me?” He asked. “You wanna make a fuss, go ahead. I might not have piles of money, but I have friends. We’ll see how this plays out.” He hung up before she could say anything.

She stared at the phone for a few moments, her brain not quite understanding what she’d just heard. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to dump her. After a few minutes, she walked back to her desk. As soon as she sat down, her editor stormed over to her station.

“What the hell was that article?” He asked. “First of all, the Gazette just published an article refuting yours, with proof. Second, I just got off the phone with Felicity Smoak’s attorney, who was throwing around words like “libel lawsuit” and “defamation”. You wanna explain why you bulldozed your way into getting that published?”

“She can’t sue for libel. All I did was-.”

“Publish an article in which you clearly say she committed a federal cybercrime, despite the fact that all public record relating to the crime explained she was cleared of wrongdoing. Meaning you knew it was a false statement that would be damaging to her character. That, by definition, is libel.” He countered. “You’re gonna be fact-checking puff pieces for Sheila, and doing nothing else, until we know how bad this is.”

The next morning, Felicity came downstairs for breakfast and found the others were already eating. Upon seeing her enter Tommy’s kitchen, Oliver pulled her aside and apologized to her again for what Susan had written. She shrugged it off, saying he couldn't control the actions of other people.

Then, Laurel spoke. “I know you didnt wanna make this a big deal, but I called the paper to try and scare them into taking down the article. I think it worked, because the link now takes everyone to the Star’s homepage.”

“Oh, Susan’s not gonna like that.” Tommy said.

“What did you say to them?” Felicity asked.

“I threw around some fancy legal words like “libel” and “lawsuit”. Those tend to make editors nervous.” She said. “And the Gazette, always wanting to one-up their competition, printed an article disproving Susan’s before I could even start writing a statement to release.”

“Oh, okay.” Felicity responded. “Oliver, I’m sorry about all of this.’

“Don't be. She made her bed, she’s gotta lie in it.” He said. “And we broke up last night, so I don’t really care about how upset she might be.”

“You broke up?” Tommy asked.

“You were right. She wasn’t- I thought she was a good person, but she wasn’t. It took me a while to see what my mom, Thea and a lot of you saw, but...yeah.” He said. “You know, she met Digg and was actually incredibly rude to him.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Felicity said. “She was mean to Digg. How can you be mean to Digg? John Diggle is a frakking delight.”

“Yeah, that should’ve been a warning sign, but she stuck by me after everything with my dad, so I convinced myself that she was having a bad day or something.”

“Can we stop talking about her? I wanna start singing that “ding, dong, the witch is dead” song from  _ The Wizard of Oz _ already.” Tommy said. “I know she’s not dead, but it still fits. You’re free. You’re finally free!”

“Thanks, Tommy.” He said. “So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Other than watching the Rockets game later, I’ve got nothing planned.”

No one else had anything planned or pressing either. They ended up spending the day just hanging around the house. During the course of the day, Felicity got to know Oliver and Tommy even better, especially Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? Thoughts?


End file.
